Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News and Fox Television Stationspictured in 2006 (Picture: Reuters)

Roger Ailes, the former chief executive of Fox News, has died aged 77.

Ailes resigned from Fox News last July following allegations of sexual harassment, marking an abrupt end to his 20-year rein over America’s most lucrative and powerful cable news channel for conservatives.

A statement from his wife Elizabeth read: ‘I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many.